Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet (more commonly New Captain Scarlet or NCS) is a United Kingdom-produced computer-generated imagery action-adventure TV series which debuted in February 2005 as part of the Ministry of Mayhem on ITV. Created by Gerry Anderson, it is a "Hypermarionation" reboot of the classic 1967 Supermarionation series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The term Hypermarionation is used to refer to the CGI. The series aired two seasons of 13 episodes apiece, which aired during Ministry of Mayhem in somewhat truncated form, and out of order, resulting in the true series finale, "Dominion" actually airing on Ministry of Mayhem a week prior to an episode set earlier in the show's timeline, "Grey Skulls", which aired as the final episode on 26th November 2005. Complete versions of all 26 episodes were later released on DVD in Region 2 (UK). As of the end of 2011, the series has officially only been shown in the UK, and has yet to achieve either broadcast or home video release elsewhere, including North America. This makes it one of the only Gerry Anderson series to not receive some form of international release. The CGI format of the series freed the storytelling from the confines of the puppets of the original series, allowing for more action and special effects directly involving the lead characters. Also, despite its airing during a children's programme, the new series introduced more-mature storytelling and complex plots, violence, and elements of romance, reflecting modern (i.e. post-''Harry Potter'') standards for young adult fare. In addition, the female Angel pilots are given a larger role in the series (in particular Destiny who becomes the female romantic lead), and the second season spotlights Captain Ochre in several episodes - the first and only female captain in the franchise. Captain Black's character is expanded upon considerably, and made more charismatic as both a villain and, occasionally, hero. The only other major character changes are Lieut. Green, who is now female and a romantic interest of Captain Blue, and Doctor Gold, who replaces the original series' Doctor Fawn. Artistically, the series retained much of the look of the original. Uniforms were mostly left unchanged, and the general physical appearance of several characters, in particular Captain Scarlett, Colonel White, and Captain Black, were based directly on the original puppets. The original series' HQ, Cloudbase is replaced with a larger, more complex aerial aircraft carrier called Skybase. None of the original series voice actors returned for the new show; as a result, Scarlett had a more distinctly American accent and no longer reflected Francis Matthews' original Cary Grant-influenced reflections. Captain Blue's new voice was considerably different from the original Ed Bishop version. Destiny Angel lost her exaggerated French accent in favor of a more English-sounding one. Captain Black speaks with a British accent both while under Mysteron control and during the rare moments when the agent's original personality returns, even though the official backstory for the character has him coming from Brooklyn, New York. Arguably the most successful updating occurs with Colonel White, who closely looks and sounds like his original series counterpart. During the course of the series, elements of the Earth-Mysteron conflict never hinted at in the original series are brought forward, including the revelation that Scarlet's ability to regain his original personality and escape Mysteron control is not unique - that in fact aspects of the original human personalities remain within the replicants. Two episodes also introduce a plot element, never explored further, of a rebellion within Mysteron society by those opposed to the war. As for the SPECTRUM agents, their backgrounds and private lives are explored more in-depth, and their real names are, for the most part, used interchangeably with their code names. Barry Gray's original theme and transition drumbeat were not retained for the new series, and a new theme and drumbeat were composed.